Montgomery, Ala.—Kendall Carter of Vestavia Hills was one of 25 rising high school seniors who participated in the first annual Huntingdon College Economic and Community Development Scholars Program earlier this month. Planned in partnership with and sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, the Economic Development Association of Alabama, and the Alabama Department of Commerce, ECDS introduced young citizens who are poised to begin their professional journeys to the importance of economic and community development.

The students toured local businesses and Alabama government offices, met with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and other state officials, heard from professionals seasoned in the processes of economic and community development, and participated in a two-day economic development simulation. Participants “graduated” from the program wearing hard hats for ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting simulations.

“We were excited to have 25 of Alabama’s brightest lights on campus,” said Huntingdon senior vice president Anthony Leigh, an architect of the program. “These students have returned to their communities enlightened about what economic and community developers do, and we hope that knowledge has given them an appreciation for the work of growing and bettering our communities and our state.”

Plans are underway to repeat the program during summer 2018.

Grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, Huntingdon College is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college recognized among “The Fastest Growing Colleges in America” by The Chronicle of Higher Education; among the top 10 regional colleges and top 10 best regional values by U.S. News and World Report; among the top tier of regional colleges by the Princeton Review; among “Colleges that Contribute to the Public Good,” by Washington Monthly; and on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Huntingdon campus, a Tree Campus USA, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.